WE MEET AGAIN

A "Silent Hill: Homecoming" fanfic

Snodin

.

I wake up in a haze; everything is dark, except for one soft light beaming down on me from above. I can hear voices- they're not speaking, but singing… ominously, like a choir at Sunday Mass. I try to move, but my hands are bound by leather straps in this steel chair.

…My God, where am I? What is happening?

I try to think back and remember how I got here, but nothing's coming to mind. I'm not even sure if I remember my name anymore, all of my thoughts fail me. All I can sense is fear and dread, especially when I hear heavy footsteps approaching me. And then, out of the pitch darkness, he emerges. "Oh God," is all I can muster as I stare up at him, this hideous beast of a man, his bare chest stained in someone else's blood, his waist and legs covered by what I swear is sown up flesh, his head completely masked by a black metal pyramid. He's coming closer. He wants something from me…

Then I hear another pair of hammering footsteps; I turn to my left, and there's another one. "Oh, God!" There's two of them, and they're both coming toward me. My heart begins to race. I try desperately to move, but my straps are on too tightly, I can barely wiggle in my seat. I can see now that these men- if they even are men- are carrying something. I can't see what it is they're holding because it's so dark, but now as they're inches from where I'm strapped, they're holding out their objects.

"What're you doing? Get away from me!" I call out. They don't answer, they just keep moving forward. I now understand that the "singing" I've been hearing was actually their moaning, like zombies approaching fresh meat to feed on. Is that was this is? Are they going to...? Those are my last thoughts, as they hold up their objects over my head. I see it clearly now: they are two halves of a pyramid. My pyramid.

"No… NO!"

It's no use. No matter how loudly I scream or how violently I struggle, the helmet is coming down on me. Everything goes dark as my flesh merges with its rusty, cold metal. For a moment, I feel extreme pain rushing through my head. Then, I take one last breath, and close my eyes…

I feel nothing now. In fact, this lack of feeling is almost peaceful. It's dark, and yet I can see everything. I can see my hands, not yet covered in blood but somehow they have a need to be. I rise from my chair, anew. The others back away, knowing that I am one of them now. I flex my new muscles and take two massive steps forward. As my feet hit the floor, I can feel the earth tremble as if I'm causing it pain. I like the idea of causing pain. It gives me a sense of pleasure I've never felt before. I know who I am now.

"…aaaAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH!"

.

I am hungry. And angry. But mostly hungry.

With sword in hand, I march through the darkness, through murky fog and abandoned wasteland, searching. But for what, I'm not really sure. All I know is that I must hunt. Hunting is what drives me, it makes me feel whole.

Damn, this blade is heavy. Dragging it across the floor is about all I can do to save energy, but even that slows me down. I don't understand why I chose such a broad and heavy weapon; hell, I'm one of the few wanderers of this limbo that even dares carry one. Yet it completes me somehow, I have it for a reason even though I don't yet understand what that reason is… But damn, is it heavy.

I enter an old building, worn down and rotten like the creatures that crawl in the dark corners. Insects are following me, almost leading me, like they know I'm about to kill something. My lumbered footsteps rock the earth, and it worries me that someone will hear me coming. That is the only fear I have now, no dread of death or pain, just fear of losing my target- whoever it may be. But I can't soften my steps, even if I knew how to. Always, my feet shake the floor, and always my blade screeches. I wonder if I'll ever catch something this way…

Stop, I tell myself.

I've come to a fork in a hallway, where walls have given way and crumbled into debris. From deep beneath my helmet, I smell something… something familiar. Yes. I smell a man's sweat and breath. He's close by. I pause with deep breaths, letting the air sink into my pyramid's holes, absorbing every bit of moisture so that I can pinpoint m prey. He's in there, hiding perhaps… in the shadows. With all of my strength, I pull my sword as I turn to my left to face the enemy. My sword's tip pierces the ground, making a frightful "ting." For the first time since my transformation, I use my eyes to see in the dark.

I know you're in there…

Despite the smoke and shade, I can faintly see a man's face. He's peering from behind a pile of rubble in the hall, staring back at me. Waiting. Praying. I know he's praying, because I remember… I… remember… Yes. I've seen his face before. I try to think back, but the longer I try to think, the more I realize that he might get away. He was the one I've been hunting all along, wasn't it? …No. Something deep in my mind tells me that he's not the one. He doesn't fuel my anger nor my hunger. He's not worth it. I turn myself back to my path ahead, throwing the sword behind me as I turn. My hunt continues as I march on labored feet down the hall. And I know he's in his hiding place, thanking God that I did not pursue him.

.

I've been wandering in the dark forever, it seems. My sword feels like it's getting heavier, but I dare not drop it. It's like a third arm now, to drop it would be like severing one of my own limbs. Besides, it was a gift- they gave it to me. To use, to kill. …But who? Who am I supposed to kill? Who am I looking for? The more I wander in this wasteland, the more I forget what it is I'm supposed to hunt.

But then, I smell the pain of a woman. I don't know how I know its gender, but I can track it like a bloodhound in these desolate halls. Her breaths are heavy, as if she's running from something. Perhaps someone else is hunting her. But I can't let them- she is my prey. Mine alone. I pick up my pace, despite the weight of my broad sword. I charge through the dark, faster, my hunger growing. She is near, I can hear her whimpering. My hidden mouth salivates.

"AIEEEEE!" she screams in the dark.

Dammit, I'm too late. Her enemies got her, and are now dragging her away. I can't help but follow them, I feel like I still have a chance to soothe my own hunger. I see them drag her by her hair and arms while she screams and begs for mercy. She'll receive none. I watch as they strap her onto a vertical breaking wheel, blocking a damp underground pathway. Her wrists are bound above her head, and her feet are strapped directly downward. The machine is rigged to split her apart from the waist. The more she struggles, the more it hurts. Her pain is music to my hidden ears. I could easily end her suffering here and now… and yet I won't. Someone is coming, and fast. I hide in the shadows. It's him again.

"Mom," he mutters. "…Jesus, what did they do?"

With little strength she has left, she whispers, "Alex…? Is that you?"

"Mom, I'm gonna… I'm gonna get you down."

No you won't, you fool. Just as I predicted, is tugging of the chains causes her to wince in pain.

She knows now that she's doomed, and frowns sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Alex…"

"Shh, it's okay."

In the shadows, I shake my hidden head. No, it's not.

"Your father and I… we loved you so much… but they said, we can only choose one."

"Mom, please. Stop. Save your breath."

She takes another breath. "Let me go, Alex."

"…I can't."

You must.

She winces again, the chains are pulling her. "Aaugh! …It hurts… so much… Please sto… make it stop."

Do it.

"Mom, I… I can't."

Yes, you can.

"Please, Alex… Please!"

I should intervene, but something is holding me back. Perhaps this is his prey after all.

"I can't…" Yet as he says this, he raises his gun at her.

"It's okay Alex," she says is a much more peaceful tone. "…I love you."

BANG!

Even though he managed to kill her out of mercy, I could not let the machine go untested. Still hiding in the dark, I pull the trigger that turns the gears that tear her body in half. Her blood pours onto the floor, and he looks away in disgust. My hunger pangs go away, but only for a little while. I lurk back into the dark, still on the hunt for a victim that would truly be mine.

.

Hours have gone by, and still nothing. My hunger grows. It burns my stomach and tenses my muscles. It's almost unbearable, but I must press on. My prey is here somewhere, in this God-forsaken wasteland. But until I hear or smell something, I won't know where to start-

"You've been there, ever since the accident…"

"No… That's not true. I'm a soldier. I protect people."

…Looking?

I hear them in the distance, two men talking. I know that one of them is the man I saw earlier, in the hall. The other, though, sounds older. Sickly. Weak. I can smell his fear, clearly as I can smell fresh blood. His pain calls out to me. I press forward.

"We had to take you there, after that night… After I gave your brother this." I can hear his voice getting closer. Something about the old man's voice triggers an anger from deep inside of me. My pace quickens.

"What is this thing?" asks the younger man. "What did you do? Where's Joshua?"

His words sends a tingle down my weary spine; Joshua. That name. It's like a red "KILL" button in my brain. My anger grows, my hunger roars.

"Alex… Forgive me."

I see the old man now- my quarry. This is the one I've been hunting, I feel it now. As I look at him from behind, my anger knows no bounds. Even though he's clearly tied up by his own self-guilt, I feel no pity for him. My hunger begs me to raise my sword, and gladly I comply.

"NO!" screams the young man, but I don't listen to him. My focus is on the old man; I run my sword through his back, then I thrust it upward to slice him clean in half. Finally, my hunger is appeased… if only for a moment. The old man's blood now stains my chest and cloak, but I stand my ground. The young man and I stare at each other for a moment.

Hello, again.

He stares back blankly, perhaps in shock. I stare back. He doesn't bother to pursue me; he knows he doesn't have a chance against a force of nature like me. Part of me would like him to try- Just try it, little man. Try. I'll even give you the first swing. …I wish I could laugh, but my mouth and vocal chords were taken from me. A pity.

My hunger is appeased. My blade feels tons lighter now as I drag it across the floor, back into the abyss from which I came.

.

I continue to wander in the dark and fog, aimlessly now. I can hear him following me, as though he decided to hunt me down. But he doesn't frighten me; in fact, part of me wants him to follow. I can feel his frustrations, his guilt, but mostly his anger. I feed on his anger, I crave it. It gives me strength. Even pleasure. I couldn't dare kill him now, not when his angst has given me so much to live for. And yet, somehow I know this will all end soon. He is too close to the dark now, there's no turning back.

When we meet again, he has already conquered all of his demons. But despite that, something has dragged him back here, to the core of this hellish limbo. His anger, my appetite, has come full circle.

He wakes up in a haze; everything is dark, except for one soft light beaming down on him from above. He can hear voices- they're not speaking, but singing… ominously, like a choir at Sunday Mass. He tries to move, but his hands are bound by leather straps in this steel chair. He can't remember how he got here, or why this is happening. I can smell his fear a mile away.

My soul splits in half, each side representing one of our recent victims. I approach in twos, each thundering as we move forward, each holding half of a pyramid. His pyramid.

"Oh God… Oh, God!" is all he can muster as he stare up at us, we two halves of a whole. "What're you doing? Get away from me!" He calls out. We don't answer, there's no need to. My halves moan like zombies approaching fresh meat to feed on. We hold up our pyramid halves over his head.

"No… NO!"

It's no use. No matter how loudly he screams or how violently he struggles, the helmet is coming down on him. Everything goes dark as his flesh merges with its rusty, cold metal. He takes one last breath, and everything goes black…

Goodbye, Alex… Until we meet again.

.

The End… and, The Beginning